


The Witch

by Servena



Series: Witch!Gene [8]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Cages, Captivity, Dehydration, Gen, Heat Stroke, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic, Minor Injuries, Slavery, Summer, Sunburn, Witchcraft, Witches, witch!gene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-22 17:41:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20878136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Servena/pseuds/Servena
Summary: “But it’s a witch! We’ve never had a witch here!”





	The Witch

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [All for Love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14998085) by [tinallie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinallie/pseuds/tinallie). 

Rumors travelled fast through a nobleman’s residence, so by sunrise whoever hadn’t heard the news was either deaf or dead. Babe certainly already knew all about it, and what he didn’t know he had theories about, which he laid out to his friend Bill in great detail as they broke their fast in the kitchen.

“Do you ever shut up?” Bill groaned, knowing full well the answer to this rhetorical question.

“But it’s a witch!” Babe said as he evaded the apple Bill tossed at him, an expertise that had taken years of training. One of the serving maids gave them a disapproving look.

“We’ve never had a witch here! What do you think he plans to do with him? I mean, renting out their services is all the rage these days and I bet he could get the necessary permissions, but I would have never thought he would be interested –“

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Bill grumbled as he got up to fetch the apple.

“In the armory, actually”, Babe said around a mouthful of porridge. “But the master’s never there this time of day.”

Bill just gave him a long-suffering sigh, polishing the apple on his tunic before taking a bite.

“I’d just really like to take a look at him!” Babe continued.

“Ain’t you never seen a witch before?” Bill says with a full mouth, chewing on his apple. Table manners hadn’t been high on his list of education either.

“Sure. In the cages on the place of death. But this is different.”

“Might not be”, Bill said between bites. “If he’s not happy with him, he’s gonna end up like the rest.”

That was a sobering thought, and it made Babe push the rest of his porridge away.

“You gonna eat that?” Bill asked with sudden interest, and as Babe shook his head he almost ripped the bowl out of his hand.

Babe went through his morning duties twice as fast as usual, but when he finally got a chance to sneak into the courtyard, the sun was already high into the sky. It was a hot day, and the cage was sitting in the middle of the yard without any shade. It was closed from all sides but one, in which iron bars where set, but it was too dark inside to make out anything other than shapes.

The guard that had been posted there gave him nothing more than a sidelong glance. Babe didn’t envy him, he had to be cooking in that armor.

“New acquisition”, the guard grunted at his curious looks. Babe was momentarily impressed that a world like acquisition was even part of his vocabulary.

“Yes, I heard. A witch, right? Bet he has a lot of interesting things to say.”

He tried to sneak a little closer, but the guard stopped him with an outreached hand that was carrying a very convincing halberd. “He don’t talk.”

“Huh. How does he do magic then?”

The guard just shrugged. Babe knew the kind, anything that was outside their pay range didn’t interest them much.

Babe on the other hand was curious by nature, but he also had a way of dealing with difficult people that had kept his neck out of a noose so far. “I bet you’re thirsty”, he said. “It must have been a long ride.”

The guard just gave a grunt in assent, but it was enough.

“Why don’t you get yourself a cool ale and a meal in the kitchen?” Babe suggested. “I can take care of this for you.”

The guard gave him a suspicious look. “I’m supposed to be guarding him.”

“Well, he’s not going anywhere, is he?” Babe gave the cage a pointed look. “And you could be back in no time.”

The guard had already started walking when he turned around to say: “He’s dangerous. Stay away from him.”

“Sure, what am I, stupid?” Babe gave a laugh that was maybe a tad unconvincing.

As soon as the guard was gone, Babe crouched down in front of the cage. As his eyes adjusted to the shadows within, he could gradually make out a figure sitting at the far end with his arms wrapped around his knees. He had dark eyes in a pale face and his hair was thick and black. He looked like a young man, but there was something unsettling about him, and if Babe didn’t know it was impossible he would swear that he could hear the low hum of magic in the air.

Babe swallowed heavily, but he’d never been a coward (much). “Hey”, he said weakly.

The other, as expected, didn’t say anything. But as he looked up their eyes met, and Babe had to gather all his courage to keep himself from scrambling backwards despite the restraints that where clearly visible around the other’s wrists and ankles, carved with runes to ward off any magic.

Now that his eyes had gotten used to the darkness, he could also make out the bleeding scratches around the witch’s wrists where the shackles had chaffed at his skin. His lips looked cracked, like he hadn’t received any water in a while and his right arm was marked with stripes of red skin where he had gotten sunburnt. There was sweat glistening on his pale skin and he was breathing quick, shallow breaths. Even from this distance Babe could feel the heat radiating off the metal, inside it had to be like sitting in a furnace. He wondered if witches could die off heat stroke.

Babe licked his lips nervously. He had a feeling that he was about to lean himself too far out a window, figuratively speaking, but he’d never been very good at stopping himself. “You must be thirsty. It’s hot today.”

No reaction, but he didn’t look away so Babe tried to hold the gaze as well. It could have been his own imagination, but he thought there was a pleading look in those dark eyes. “I’m gonna get you some water.”

Only when he had gotten back on his feet did he notice the way his legs were shaking and his heart was pounding. He didn’t have to do this, he told himself, he could just wait in a safe distance until the guard got back. But then he had given his word, at least kind of, and going back on it didn’t feel that safe either. In the end, he walked over to the well on the other side of the courtyard and filled one of the jars with cool water, taking the chance to pour some of it on his face and over his head to cool himself off, and carried it back.

Only then did he realize that for him to give it to the witch, he had to reach inside the cage.

He shivered despite the sunlight. Thinking before acting had never been his strong suit, or so Bill kept telling him. But there was no backing out now.

He can’t do anything to me, he told himself as he stepped closer. No witch can do magic when wearing the runes. But there was more than magic to kill a man. He hoped they had searched him thoroughly before putting him in that cage.

“Here I am”, he said as cheerfully as he could. He could see the way the other’s eyes flittered to the jug and how he licked his chapped lips at the sight. How long had he been travelling without water, Babe wondered. A witch could suffer far more than a mere mortal man, but it couldn’t have been comfortable.

He took a deep breath and slipped the jug through the bars, making sure not to touch them as they were hot enough to get himself burnt. He set the jug down, but before he could pull his hand back, the witch reached out to him. The movement was surprisingly quick, like the lunge of a snake, and Babe gave an undignified yelp as he leaned back and fell on his ass.

From there he watched with a racing heart as the witch took pick gulps from the jug, the water running down his chin, before pouring the rest over his wrists and arms similarly to how Babe had done earlier.

It was fascinating how he could be both pleased with himself at having done a good deed, and feel like he’d made a terrible mistake at the same time.

“You did WHAT?” Bill’s voice could probably be heard all the way up to the highest tower of the castle.

“He was thirsty! I bet he didn’t get any water for the whole journey!”

Bill grabbed his head and shook it lightly. “Is there a brain in there? Cause sometimes I’m wondering!” He sighed and pulled Babe closer, fixing him a serious look. “Babe. Listen to me. Dealing with a witch will not do you any favors.”

“I know”, Babe said sheepishly.

Bill was still shaking his head, and Babe was pretty sure that he had a whole lecture ready for him, but in the end he left it at a firm: “You better stay away from him.”

The words “I will” were already on his tongue, but he swallowed them down. He didn’t want to give a promise he couldn’t keep, and he didn’t want to lie to his best friend either.

Bill gave him a look like he knew.


End file.
